Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill 2024-25

The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [HL] 2024-25 was introduced in the House of Lords on 30 July 2024.

The Bill received its second reading in the Lords on 10 September 2024 and passed its final Lords stage on 22 October. It was then sent to the Commons, where it is due to have its second reading on 14 November.

It is a one-clause bill which will ensure that whenever a vacancy arises among 21 of the bishops who sit in the House of Lords (known as the Lords Spiritual), the position will continue to be filled by a female diocesan bishop if one is available. The aim is to increase female representation on the bishops’ benches.

Without this legislation, the position will soon return to the position before 2015 whereby bishops of whatever sex become members of the House of Lords according to their length of service. The relevant provisions of the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 are due to expire on 17 May 2025.

The text of the Bill and its Explanatory Notes are available on the Bill pages on the Parliamentary website.